Wait for new Macbook Pro?

[Connor Crosby]

No one knows the exact specs except Apple until they are released. There are speculations that it will have a new body form and might not have an optical drive.

I think waiting for the release of the new MacBook Pros is a win-win whether you want them or not. Once they are released, the cost of the current MacBook Pros will go down. So from there you can choose based on specs.

[Andrew Richards]

[Bobby Cullipher] “I’ve churned a project or two in Adobe PP… but unfortunately, it’s not going to work. The performance of this setup is far too slow and the basic functionality of PP seems years behind FCP.”

By all accounts, CS6 is a big leap forward. It officially launched today, and there is a free preview you can try to see for yourself.

[Bobby Cullipher] “So, is the 2012 Macbook Pro worth the wait, or should I just buy one now?”

Intel officially shipped Ivy Bridge a week ago, so new MBPs could drop at any time. Wait.

[Bobby Cullipher] “The system requirements on Adobe PP should be deleted/updated… very misleading. I have 8gb mem, 3gb video card, 7200rpm RAID… and it’s terribly slow.”

Which video card does your Dell have? And what kind of internal HDD does your Dell have (specifically, what RPM)?

[Bobby Cullipher] “I know much of the speculation of the new Macbook Pro is that it will be lighter, faster, brighter… but how will this impact the performance of FCPX?”

The Ivy Bridge upgrade is incremental from a CPU standpoint, but possibly very significant from a total system standpoint (at least as Macs go). Intel is integrating USB3 in the PCH for Ivy Bridge, and there is also support for PCIe 3.0, though that will have little impact in a laptop aside from the GPU bus and maybe later on a faster Thunderbolt. Apple could choose not to implement USB3 for their Ivy Bridge rev Macs, but that would be crazy (and Apple has been known to be crazy from time to time). The embedded GPU for Ivy Bridge is also much better, though presumably a MacBook Pro would continue to also have a more powerful discrete GPU.

Short version, as FPCX goes, the Ivy Bridge update is going to be an incremental improvement, but it is so close to happening you should wait if at all possible. The update should come in days or weeks, not months.

Best,
Andy

[David Lazaro saz]

The problem I see with the Dell XPS that you have bought is that its graphics card are not supported by the Mercury Playback Engine.

From what Adobe has published regarding CS5.5 and CS6 supported laptop graphics cards, the only laptops that cut it from the Dell lineup are the Precision M6600 (17″) with either an NVIDIA Quadro 4000M or an NVDIA Quadro 5010M or the Precision M4600 (16″) with an NVIDIA Quadro 2000M.

Premiere Pro only seems to support “consumer” laptop graphics cards on current generation MacBook Pros.

List of graphics cards supported by the Mercury Playback Engine.

If you want to go the Apple way, I wouldn’t wait to the next-gen models because the current generation models are currently certified for Premiere Pro CS6, Avid Media Composer 6, DaVinci Resolve 8 and Final Cut Pro X. That’s great from my point of view. I think Smoke 2012 was also shown running on those at this year’s NAB.

When the next-gen models are released they will be need to be certified by each of the vendors. So you will be first waiting for the unknown release date, and second to updates from each NLE vendor.

I’d also go with the current generation MacBook Pro because they have Thunderbolt. The USB 3 ports of the current generation Dell Precision laptops seem to be having problems with some peripherals like the BlackMagic UltraStudio Pro according to some forum threads here on the Cow.

[Douglas K. dempsey]

It sounds like you are getting two different answers here. One says “wait because new MBP will drop soon, and if you don’t like it, the current models will drop in price a bit.”

The other says new MBP may not arrive until next year, and in any case it may take awhile for PP or Avid to offer updates that optimize their use.

I constantly face this issue, and try to watch the rumor sites and guess timeframes. But for everyone who has been waiting for “iPhone 5”, which now looks like it may arrive a YEAR beyond original rumors, waiting can be simply watching your life pass by.

My advice; if you cannot trade up the Dell as per advice on Mercury Engine support, if you want a Mac, then wait until June. If no announcements are imminent, and you MUST begin a job in FCPX, then you gotta pull the trigger.

Doug D

[Chris Harlan]

Hey Bobby!

A couple of quick observations.

First, about Del. The XPS line isn’t the equivalent of the Macbook Pro. That would be the Precision line. Also, XPS line doesn’t seem to support multiple internal drives, so unless you hot-rodded it somehow, I’m guessing that you do not have an internal RAID. The system itself, should not be giving you poor performance, just not optimal. I’m guessing that simply attaching a USB 3 RAID for source material and scratch disks would make a major change.

As to a new MacBook Pro–I usually wait well into a release cycle to buy one. That way the kinks get worked out by other, more willing folks. This is near the end of this cycle, however, and major changes are rumored. On the other hand, the current Macbook Pros are a powerful generation of computers. These are the questions you need to ask yourself: Do you need to buy one right now? Will you lose work if you don’t? If its just an itch, I would definitely wait. The current rumors are that a 15″ will be announced or available in early June, and that a 17″ will be available later in the year or never. These rumors also claim that there will be a major body redesign to unite the Pro and Air lines. Is any of that true? Who knows? But I would wait unless work calls; in which case, who cares? The current version is a good computer.

[Jeremy Garchow]

At the very least, I’d wait a month as this is happening:

https://developer.apple.com/wwdc/

Jeremy

[Bobby Cullipher]

Thanks everyone. I assumed it would be mixed feelings. It comes down to the immediate demand, I guess. I am upgrading the video card in my MacPro (desktop) to be compatible with FCPX… should be in today. I will decide on the Macbook Pro and FCPX once I have had an op to give FCPX a whirl. Either way, I’m quite disappointed with the performance of PP and my new Dell… this has to change.

The Dells specs:
XPS 17 1920×1080
NVIDIA Geforce GT555M 3GB (cannot believe this is not on Adobes list)
750HD 7200RPM
2 X 1TB External GRaid HD 7200RPM
8GB Mem
BR Burner

In my readings, USB3 is not the way to go for video editing… esata was most recommended. But again, I am in no way a tech guy… this is just what I have read. My current setup is via esata, but I’m only using one drive. I could not get the computer to see both drives at the same time. It’s obviously something I am doing wrong… just haven’t had time to research it… too busy churning.

Again, its great having a place like this filled with industry pros like yourself… great collaboration. I do appreciate everyone’s time!

[John-michael Seng-wheeler]

[Bobby Cullipher] “NVIDIA Geforce GT555M 3GB (cannot believe this is not on Adobes list)”

Have you tried editing the text file? Might work.

In case you need it, here’s a how to:

(note these instructions are for CS5.5. They also apply to CS5 and probably to CS6. You didn’t mention what version of Premiere you’re using, so I’m assuming 5.5.)

0) shutdown PP

1) right click on notepad in the start menu and select “run as administrator” (If you don’t do this you will not have the privileges to save the text file after you edit it.)

2) point to File>Open and navigate to the Premiere Pro application folder. (usually “C:Program FilesAdobePremiere Pro CS5.5”)

3) Open cuda_supported_cards.txt which you will find there.

4) on a new line, add “GeForce GT 555M”, which is the name of your card.

5) Save the file. (if you didn’t run notepad as administrator it will complain that it doesn’t have the permissions required to save.

6) start PP again and go to the project setting panal and enable MPE hardware mode.

note: if it’s still grayed out, ether you have the name of your GPU wrong, or PP is smart enough to know it won’t work. The former is far more likely.

[Chris Harlan]

[Bobby Cullipher] “In my readings, USB3 is not the way to go for video editing… esata was most recommended. But again, I am in no way a tech guy… this is just what I have read. My current setup is via esata, but I’m only using one drive. I could not get the computer to see both drives at the same time. It’s obviously something I am doing wrong… just haven’t had time to research it… too busy churning.
“

There’s nothing wrong with USB3 for video editing. In fact Blackmagic makes a variety of i/o cards for it. USB3 is faster than eSATA, but eSATA is fine as well. I’m not sure what you mean by “seeing both drives at the same time.” Are you trying to create a RAID? Are you using a RAID? Is it set to RAID 0?

Here–check out the stats on this G-RAID.

https://www.g-technology.com/products/g-raid.cfm

This two-platter RAID is the kind of thing you are looking for. It will plug into your eSATA port and be seen as a single drive by your system. You can find similar products from companies like Glyph, LaCie, Western Digital and Mac Universe.

[Bobby Cullipher]

I have not tried editing the text file. I didn’t even know there was such a thing! This is the kind of stuff that confuses people like me who have always relied on staff engineers to provide the tools we need to get the job done as fast as possible… I’m like a lost puppy without them. I will try editing the text file, but I’d prefer to just turn it on and have it work 🙂 – my fcp suite and my old avid suite have always been workhorses… maybe this laptop pace is just something to get used to.

As for USB 3 vs esata… I’m lost. I’ve been reading these guys who post bench tests and they all say esata is the way to go. I have a couple external usb3 SSDs… I need to try one to compare… its just finding the time to test, and not edit once i get home. I’m doing all of this troubleshooting during my downtime between client meetings/shoots/edits at my day job.

Again… you guys are great and you should be compensated for your time. I will def pay it forward if given the opportunity.